by Mieder van Loggerenberg
The SQ3R Reading System was developed by Professor Francis Robinson in 1941 and is a five-step method that has proved to be beneficial for students reading comprehension and development, especially for difficult or advance level textbooks. The five steps consist of survey, question, read, recite, and review. How the system works is by breaking down the reading into manageable segments so that you can understand and absorb the content before moving on to the next section or topic.
1. SURVEY
Collecting the information to set goals
Scan the title, table of contents, headings, introductions and/or summary, synopsis or blurb of the material to help you mentally organize and draw a mind map of the content. Scan the material for any graphics like charts, maps, diagrams, illustrations etc. to get a visual interpretation of the content. If available, read reviews on the book online or find books similar to the one you are going to study. In some cases, there might me a newer release or edition available or supplementary content related to the topic or material.
2. QUESTION
Promoting engagement on concentration
Change the headings for each section into questions that you must answer after you have completed that section. The more questions, the better the retention of the content. In addition, asking yourself what the key takeaways are for each section will greatly develop your comprehension of the topic. For example, here are some questions you can ask yourself as you
read:
· What is the main idea of this chapter?
· What is the main idea of this section?
· What are examples that support this main idea?
· Who are the main people or what key events are discussed in this chapter?
· Why are they important?
· What are possible test questions?
· What points don’t I understand?
3. READ
Answer your questions
Actively read the material and search for answers to your questions. The more you read, the more questions you will have. Adjust the questions accordingly.
4. RECITE
Train your mind to focus and learn as you read
Paraphrase each section after reading it. Your summary should be able to answer the questions you set before. If you can’t paraphrase a section, you need to make a bullet point list of the key points. The goal is not to move on to the next section if you can’t answer the questions.
5. REVIEW
Master your retention skills
It is important to always go back and redo the questions of sections you have completed already. Review the content and add more questions. Review the questions with your peers or your study group. It is also useful to swap questions in the study group to get a myriad of questions related to the same topic.
To get maximum benefit from the SQ3R reading technique, practice it with study group. Two or more people will see different perspectives. In addition, explaining either the question or answer to your peers can help you develop a deeper understanding of the topic and so help you master the content far more effectively.
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